I have all notifications off permanently except for texts and calls. If something is really urgent, people know how to get ahold of me. 99.9999% of the time, tasks are async, and don't require immediate attention.
Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
11–20 of 68 posts
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#12I feel like while all of these productivity "hacks" and systems (like Pomodoro) may have some merit, they're completely unnecessary.
It's really not too hard to:
* Work.
* If you lose focus, be mindful of the fact that your attention is wandering, and focus on your work again. This part takes some discipline. Discipline takes time to develop. Be patient.
* If you feel that you cannot focus on your work, get up and walk around. Go to the bathroom. Step outside for a moment. Take yourself out of the work, then return to your desk and immediately dive back in.
* Accept that you're a human - not a robot; that 100% efficiency is unattainable; and that it's a waste of your only life to try to attain 8 hours of productive work in an 8 hour day.
I don't need a timer. I don't need to develop Pavlovian responses to a mysterious ticking noise. I don't want the overhead of "productivity management applications". I just want to put my hands to work, until the work's done, and then do the next thing.
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Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#13I've found that http://mynoise.net offers better sounds for concentration than most music.
Using https://brainaural.com/ with brainwaves at about 13.5 Hz - 14 Hz also seems to help my concentration. (I have no idea whether it's a placebo, tied to habit.)
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#14I have all notifications off permanently except for texts and calls. If something is really urgent, people know how to get ahold of me. 99.9999% of the time, tasks are async, and don't require immediate attention.
I've not taken measures that drastic, but by severely limiting how many notifications I get on any given day, I've noticed a significant decrease in anxiety.
Notification fatigue is very real.
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#15I feel like while all of these productivity "hacks" and systems (like Pomodoro) may have some merit, they're completely unnecessary. It's really not too hard to: * Work. * If you lose focus, be mindful of the fact that your attention is wandering, and focus on your work again. This part takes some discipline. Discipline takes time to develop. Be patient. * If you feel that you cannot focus on your work, get up and wa…
> It's really not too hard
What's hard for others may not match what's hard for you.
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#16I'm curious how work and breaks are set up in other countries. In Sweden we have a long tradition of 2 hour work, short coffee break, 2 hour work. Lunchbreak 30-60 minutes, repeat.
The long break has to be latest after five hours and is not counted towards working time. You are allowed to leave the workplace.
The shorter breaks is included in your work time but has no forced length other than it has to be adapted to the workplace and rythm. It can also be 5 minutes every hour. Up to the company. The longer break is supposed to be minimum 30 minutes but I don't think that is in the law. Unions usually recommend 60 minutes.
Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general. While of course drinking that all important coffee which is also almost mandatory. This is where most youth learn to drink coffee, at their first job. Most likely learn how to cook it too :-)
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#17I feel like while all of these productivity "hacks" and systems (like Pomodoro) may have some merit, they're completely unnecessary. It's really not too hard to: * Work. * If you lose focus, be mindful of the fact that your attention is wandering, and focus on your work again. This part takes some discipline. Discipline takes time to develop. Be patient. * If you feel that you cannot focus on your work, get up and wa…
> It's really not too hard What's hard for others may not match what's hard for you.
This is a wisdom that comes with age. Everyone is different and some have more problems to concentrate and can take different levels of stress. What most see as lazy might be people that has burned out already, just haven't realized it, thinking it's just the way it's supposed to be. Be careful with how you work, you might be able to cope right now but your brain will make sure to break when it gets too much and the cost might be pretty high.
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#18I'm curious how work and breaks are set up in other countries. In Sweden we have a long tradition of 2 hour work, short coffee break, 2 hour work. Lunchbreak 30-60 minutes, repeat. The long break has to be latest after five hours and is not counted towards working time. You are allowed to leave the workplace. The shorter breaks is included in your work time but has no forced length other than it has to be adapted to…
> Taking a coffee break is almost mandatory, even the boss will look funny at you if you skip it. This is where you talk about the day, plans ahead and other things connected to work or life in general. While of course drinking that all important coffee which is also almost mandatory.
In my experience Americans took this concept and turned it into the brutally utilitarian daily standup. Chop chop no chitchat get to work meetings are a waste of time!
Then they said you know what this is taking too long. Let’s just do standup via Slack.
I miss the morning coffee from my first jobs in Europe.
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#19I have all notifications off permanently except for texts and calls. If something is really urgent, people know how to get ahold of me. 99.9999% of the time, tasks are async, and don't require immediate attention.
I'm on the very extreme end of being bothered by notifications, so I set things up so that my wife and coworkers can contact me at work, but no one else can. Conversely, I don't check email outside of work. This works pretty well for me.
Re: Build a Focus System for Better Work/Life Balance as a Web Developer
#20Rather than setting a timer + starting/stopping music, I'm a huge advocate of Focus@Will[1], which is basically a combo of the items mentioned in this article: No need to select music (they have an extensive library). You just set a timer and you get a "ding" to start work, which is oddly effective at getting you into the zone. I've found it also helps to build a list of tasks _before_ you start working for the day.…
Yeah, I'm not gonna supply credit card / paypal for a 'free' trial. That's just greasy. If the product is worth paying for I'd be sure to add my credit card after the trial.